


Breaker

by TempusPetrichor



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Drift Bond, Gen, Post-Movie: Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018), The Drift (Pacific Rim)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:07:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26440003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TempusPetrichor/pseuds/TempusPetrichor
Summary: HERMANN.It’s too loud. Too loud.Too loud in a way that Hermann knows only one person can be.Raleigh is back, Hermann is tired, and Newt breaks through the Drift.
Relationships: Newton Geiszler & Hermann Gottlieb, Raleigh Becket & Hermann Gottlieb
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	Breaker

**Author's Note:**

> So, I've finally seen Uprising and WHAT. WHY. I loved it, but also I am Upset (TM).  
> In response, I have started writing a long-term fic that is currently unfinished. (Side note: how do y'all write long fics-- I'm so impressed.) This is a scene that I removed from the draft because my ideas changed, but I didn't want to just delete it? 
> 
> As always, I would love to hear your thoughts/criticism/literally anything :) I hope you enjoy it!

The Drift with Newton today was draining—more so than usual. Hermann could always feel the pull of the hivemind when he was Drifting with Newton. It felt like standing in the ocean, the waves catching on his clothes, and trying to drag him out to sea. Today, he still felt weighed down like his clothes had been soaked in the metaphorical ocean, making each step twice as weighted as it should be. He can’t help but shake his head—Newton had always drawn out the poetic side of him.

They hadn’t spoken more than a few minutes when the Drift cut off abruptly. Afterward, Newton thrashed against his bonds, drawing blood from his arms and his lip where he bit into it. Generally, the Precursors raged at Hermann before he left, and today was no exception. The other techs in the lab shrunk away from their vile words, but Hermann attempted to school his expression into impassivity. He and Newton had fought for decades, and yet these homicidal colonizers still found new ways to sting him—or at least ones Newton never dared to use.

Hermann walked towards the cafeteria now, the consistent rhythm of his steps and cane a comfort that he never felt before Drifting with Newton in ’25. He hadn’t eaten yet today, had he? It didn’t matter; he shouldn’t waste time when there was work—

**_HERMANN._ **

It’s too _loud. Too loud._

Too loud in a way that Hermann knows only one person can be.

_Newton?_

_Hermann._

Hermann is leaning against a hallway in the Shatterdome. His teeth hurt—he tries to loosen his jaw muscles. He was heading to the cafeteria. Or has he already been there? He can’t remember, and the voice that sounds like Newton’s but _can’t_ be is quieter but still drowning out the pipes and banging that is the ‘dome’s breathing. Hermann squeezes his eyes shut.

 _Hermann._

Steady.

_Hermann._

Like breathing.

_Hermann._

Or drowning.

“Hermann?”

Hermann’s eyes fly open before he realizes the two voices aren’t quite the same—one tinged with concern while the other is a pull—a _need_ —he hasn’t felt in years.

Raleigh Becket is crouched in front of Hermann, one hand resting gently on his shoulder. Judging by the furrow in his brow and his lip worrying between his teeth, Raleigh’s been waiting for Hermann to respond for a while.

_Hermann._

“Are you alright?” Hermann jerks his head to the side. “How can I help?”

_Hermann._

“Newton.” It feels like he’s trying to force the words through a looming tidal wave. His throat feels like he’s swallowed sand.

Raleigh runs his eyes over Hermann again: slumped against the wall, cane white-knuckled like a lifeline, and visibly trying to prevent himself from shaking. He remembers when Mako (when _Yancy_ ) dropped out of the Drift. He nods.

“Let’s go.”

Raleigh moves his hand under Hermann’s arm to help him off the floor. Even with his cane and the added support of Raleigh, Hermann feels like he could vibrate into a million pieces by the time they make it to Newton in the sub-basement of the Shatterdome.

_Hermann._

The two make their way through hallways, going towards the opposite end of the ‘dome where Newton is being held three floors below. When Raleigh starts to turn them towards the elevator near the main entrance, Hermann resists.

“It’ll be faster this way. Less backtracking.” Hermann turns them the opposite way, towards the stairs. Raleigh looks at him for a second but says nothing.

The stairs are taxing, but still faster than waiting for the elevator. Raleigh takes Hermann’s cane for him in one hand, while Hermann leverages himself between the railing and Raleigh’s other arm to take the stairs two at a time. He might pay for the rush, but it could be treated later. He needs to get to Newton _now_.

_Hermann._

It’s an echo in his head. Hermann can’t tell if Newton is continuing to reach out or if his psyche is replaying the first call out of shock—shock and _hope_ and _fear_.

When they finally reach the holding area, it’s very nearly Raleigh who is slowing them down. Hermann’s a step ahead with Raleigh trailing behind with a supporting hand still connected to Hermann’s. Rounding the corner to the main door, Hermann pulls up short. There’s still a guard placed at the entrance, and Hermann’s arrival is unplanned—it’s unlikely they’ll be allowed access.

Raleigh, however, doesn’t seem to pay this any mind. He releases Hermann’s arm and stalks up to the guard, straightening to stretch his full height. Hermann can’t see his face, but the commmanding military stance is undeniable. When he wants to be, Raleigh can be intimidating. He could have made an excellent Marshall if he’d been so inclined. “Are you going to let us in, or what?”

“No visitors allowed after noon today.”

_Hermann._

“We’re not visitors; we’re scientists. This is Dr. Hermann Gottlieb, of the K-Science Division.”

“I know who Dr. Gottlieb is, _Ranger_ Becket. As I said, no visitors allowed. Those are orders.”

Raleigh continues to stare down the guard, weighing something. Hermann can see his jaw working. Hermann stands ramrod straight, chin up and looking down his nose, trying to fulfill the image many in the Shatterdome have of him, but he can’t seem to clamp down on the jittering through his nerves. Without warning, Raleigh punches the guard in the face, then grabs the front of his uniform as he staggers. Hermann takes a step back in shock but rushes forward towards the door when Raleigh wrestles the guard to the ground and shouts, “Go!”

He swipes himself in and nearly hits someone with the door as he slams it open. He hears a confused voice ask, “Dr. Gottlieb?” but he’s not sure who it belongs to. He cannot afford to stop, pushing his way past another doctor. He sees Caitlin Lightcap speaking with another researcher in front of the one-way glass to Newton’s godforsaken _cell_ , but she only has time to look at him with wide eyes before he pulls her ID badge off her coat and swipes it in front of the door to the cell. Hermann slips in, pulling the door shut behind him as Lightcap yells, panicked, “Dr. Gottlieb!”

_Hermann._

His hand is still on the door handle, his back to the chair he knows Newton has been restrained in for the last six months. He’s seen him dozens of times throughout his _imprisonment,_ Drifted with him for many of them, but having this shred of hope dashed isn’t appealing in the least. The first time he visited, the Precursors tried to win his favor. They called him “Dr. Gottlieb,” claiming it was what he always wanted from Newton. _How wrong they were._ When he refused to give them any information, a switch flipped, and the Precursors screamed at him and struggled against the bonds until Newton’s wrists bled and his voice gave out to gasps.

Hermann takes a breath. The pounding in his ears subsides, and he realizes it’s too quiet in the room—no yelling, no cursing. He’s not even sure if there’s breathing beside his own labored huffs. He takes another breath to settle himself and turns to face the rest of the room.

Newton is slumped forward in his chair, head hanging towards the floor. Even when Hermann hadn’t been in the room, the Precursors would spit and fight until Newton’s body succumbed to exhaustion or his voice went hoarse. Seeing Newton so still, so silent, is unnerving. For a moment, Hermann worries what he felt was Newton dying. He feels suddenly, irrevocably nauseous until he hears the start of one rattling breath. Newton lifts his head slowly like it weighs 50 kilograms instead of the average five. His glasses are missing, and his face is filthy, but he quirks the edge of his mouth in another echo—an old smirk from an old life.

“Hey, Herms.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!  
> I love all you wonderful people & please hit me up anytime--I would love to hear from you :)  
> Stay safe, much love.


End file.
